The Joyful Bells May Ring

A little bittersweet, trimming the tree this year. There’s the Mexico ornaments from the trip Kevin’s parents took us on, the little souvenir suitcase, and the one Kavi painted there. There’s the turtle from Jed’s and my anniversary trip to Hawaii. There are ladies and knights and unicorns from the U.K., and the rather manic little doll that Roshani taught me how to make. So many of our ornaments are travel-related, and people-related, and I’m not getting to see those people this year, and I haven’t been more than 30 minutes from home since March.

But still, grateful for the tree, and this home, and the people in it. Here’s the little greenhouse ornament — the garden has been such a solace this year. Here’s the front door ornament — I bought one for each of the kids, the year we moved into this house, and I’m planning to send those off with them when they finally move out.

It is a good, sheltering home, and if it’s just the four of us this year, and a little lonely, I am still immensely grateful that we have our health, and jobs & school that have allowed us to shelter in place. I hope our doing so, these last several months, has helped flatten the curve a little bit, helped keep our community a little safer.

I’m not religious, but I could send a little wish out into the universe tonight, a prayer, if you like. Let the vaccination roll out be smooth, let the new administration handle this pandemic better, let us support those folks who are being hit hard by this in so many different ways — let us all get past this as quickly and effectively as we can.

Let’s take care of each other, so that next Christmas, all the joyful bells may ring.

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